Several Sri Lankans including migrants from UAE return

By Vyshnavy Velrajh

Sri Lankan migrants in the United Arab Emirates are among several Sri Lankans who returned to the country today.

One flight arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) last night while three flights returned this morning.

The?National Operations Centre for the Prevention of COVID- 19 said that 50 passengers arrived from Dubai on flight EK 648 last night.

Meanwhile 110 passengers arrived from Ethiopia on flight ET8804 this morning while 270 passengers arrived on flight UL226 from Dubai and 66 from India on flight UL1024 also today.

All those who arrived will be transferred to quarantine centers operated by the military.

Director General East Asia at the Foreign Ministry, Kandeepan Balasubramaniam had told Colombo Gazette earlier that arrangements had been completed for 228 stranded Sri Lankan migrant workers to leave from Dubai.

The passengers had been selected from both Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with 45 Sri Lankan migrant workers, who are reported to have fled from their employers, from safe houses maintained by the Mission in Abu Dhabi.

Kandeepan Balasubramaniam said that the President had approved the repatriation, despite normal repatriation flights being temporarily suspended and an increase in coronavirus cases in the country at present. (Colombo Gazette)